Video · Shooting
Video shoots in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, framed for every cut.
Planned, lit and directed shoots for businesses in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, framed so one shoot day produces the vertical cuts for Reels and TikTok as well as the wider versions for YouTube, the website and ads. Quoted per brief.
Plan the cuts before the shoot, not after it.
- Where
- Dubai · Abu Dhabi
- Planned for
- 16:9 · 1:1 · 4:5 · 9:16
- Price
- Quote per brief
01What we shoot
Five kinds of shoot, planned the same way.
- 01Brand and product
- The product in use rather than on display, the people who make it, and the details that make it worth buying — lit and framed for every format it will run in.
- 02People and interviews
- Founders, teams and customers who have agreed to be on camera, recorded with sound good enough to carry the video on its own.
- 03Property and spaces
- Homes, offices, clinics and venues, shot to show how a space is used rather than only what it looks like. For listings and developments, see real estate.
- 04Social content
- A day planned to produce a month of Reels and TikToks: many short setups, several takes of each opening line, framed vertical from the start.
- 05Ads
- Hooks and variations shot on purpose, so the edit has more than one opening to test.
02Framed for every format
Decided on set, not rescued in the edit.
Shot wide, so it crops tall.
A shoot that only thinks about one format produces one video. So every setup is framed with the vertical crop in mind: the subject kept where a 9:16 frame will find them, and clear of the parts of the screen that Instagram and TikTok cover with their own buttons and captions. Moments that only work vertically are shot vertically, on purpose.
You can see what each format gives up on the video production page, where one shot is reframed four ways.
Decided on set, not rescued in the edit.
03Before the shoot
Most of a shoot happens before the day.
- 01A shot list built from the cuts
- Every video the day has to produce, and every shot each one needs, written down before anyone picks up a camera.
- 02Locations and permits
- Each location checked while planning. Filming commercially in public places in Dubai and Abu Dhabi generally needs a permit from that emirate’s film authority, and drones need their own approvals, so where one is needed it goes into the schedule.
- 03People on camera
- Everyone identifiable agrees to appear before they are filmed. In the UAE that is not a formality, and it is part of the plan rather than something to sort out afterwards.
- 04A schedule for the day
- Setups in an order that keeps the day moving, with the openings shot early while everyone is fresh.
04On the day
Direction, several takes, and sound.
The opening line of a video is the part that gets tested, so it is the part shot most: in different words, at different energies, from more than one angle. People who are not used to cameras are given something to do rather than something to recite. And sound is recorded as carefully as picture, because a video with poor sound gets scrolled past however good it looks.
05After the shoot
Straight into the edit.
Most shoots go directly into our own video editing, including Reels and TikToks, which is why they are planned around the cuts. If you already have an editor, the footage is delivered organised so they can find what they need. Either way, your footage is not used in our own marketing without your written permission.
06Price
Quoted per brief.
A shoot is priced from what it involves: how long, where, who is on camera, whether a permit is needed, and how many videos it has to produce. Send a brief and you get a fixed quote and a schedule before anything is booked. Full production, from concept to finished edits, starts at the published rate on the video production page.
07Out of scope
What we turn down.
Not offered:
A shoot day without a shot listTurning up to see what happens is how a day produces one usable video. The plan is what makes the day worth booking.
Not offered:
Filming people who have not agreedAnyone identifiable agrees before they are filmed. No exceptions for a good shot.
Not offered:
One version from a whole dayIf a shoot can only produce one cut, it was planned for the wrong thing. Every shoot is planned for the formats it will actually run in.
08Questions
The things people actually ask.
How much does a video shoot cost in Dubai?
We quote per brief. What moves the number is the shoot itself: how long, how many locations, how many people on camera, whether a location needs a permit, and how many finished videos the day has to produce. You get a fixed quote and a schedule before anything is booked. Full production, including the edit, starts at the rate on the video production page.
Do you shoot in Abu Dhabi?
Yes. We are based in Business Bay, Dubai, and shoot across Dubai and Abu Dhabi. An Abu Dhabi shoot is planned the same way, with the travel built into the schedule rather than taken out of the shooting time.
Do we need a filming permit?
It depends on where. Filming commercially in public places in Dubai and Abu Dhabi generally needs a permit from that emirate’s film authority, and drones need their own approvals. Private premises with the owner’s agreement are usually simpler. We check each location while planning, so a permit is a line in the schedule, not a surprise on the day.
Can you shoot at our office, shop or site?
Yes. Your own premises are often the best location there is: they are real, they are yours, and nobody needs to be persuaded to let you film there.
Do you shoot vertical video for Reels and TikTok?
Yes, and usually alongside everything else. We frame wide enough that the vertical crop works, and shoot the moments that only work vertically on their own. One day can produce the Reels, the TikToks and the wider versions.
Do you edit as well, or only shoot?
Both. Most shoots go straight into our own edit, which is why they are planned around the cuts. If you have an editor already, we deliver the footage organised so they can find what they need.
09Related